Bicycles in Hebrides on C5 TV

Created: 21 September 2018

The Outer Hebrides are starring on TV tonight (Friday, 21 September) in the final episode of Channel 5’s Britain By Bike series with Larry and George Lamb – and it’s thanks to an alliance of island bike hire and bike repair companies that they were able to complete their journey.

In the last episode in the series, the father and son undertake the 185-mile Hebridean Way, from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis…. but run into trouble early on, when Larry’s gears stop working.

In the episode, on Channel 5 at 8pm (available on catch-up at my5.tv), viewers will hear Larry report some “trouble at mill” – “but as luck would have it, some enterprising not-so-local locals have set up a bike shop en route.”

Larry and George called in on Tony Flanagan of Barra Bike Hire, who hired them a replacement electric bike to get back on the road, while Larry’s own bike was sent up to Stornoway to be repaired by Alistair Glover of Bespoke Bicycles (Hebrides) Ltd.

Although they are both independent businesses, Tony and Alistair work in tandem to ensure there is breakdown cover for cyclists on the Hebridean Way.

As well as carrying out bike repairs – Alistair repaired Larry’s bike for the next leg of their round-Britain journey – Alistair also does bike hire and bike ferrying. And there is a third link in the chain, Malcolm Gibson in Berneray, which means the whole route is covered.

Although viewers will see tonight’s episode as the last of the series, when the Lambs were in the Hebrides in August, they had not finished their marathon road trip and were heading to Ireland.

The Lewis and Harris Pipe Band make an appearance, among others including a weaver, a kilt maker, traditional singers, the Eriskay footballers and a Hebridean Cycle Club cyclist, to discuss the impact the official launch of the Hebridean Way has had on cycling.

A famous marag makes an appearance too. The Lambs called in on Charley Barley’s when they arrived in Stornoway and described it as “black pudding nirvana”. Larry Lamb also cuts peats.

But the place itself is the biggest star and the actor and his TV personality son were clearly bowled over by the Hebrides.

“This is so cool,” said George as their Twin Otter landed on the beach in Barra.

“I’ve always wanted to come to the Hebrides and what a wonderful opportunity to bicycle it,” said Larry.

Coming through Harris, he said it was “hard not to feel a bit envious” of those living there.

George added: “All of a sudden I totally get why everybody is raving about the Hebrides.”

But they had to get there first and that was in doubt when the bike broke down in Barra, although George had declared: “Nothing is going to stop our adventure. Even if I have to give him a backie all the way to Stornoway, so be it!”

But the replacement was hired from Tony at Barra Bike Hire and Alistair later carried out the complex repairs on the electric bike’s gear system.

Alistair – who was honoured by the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association earlier this month as ‘Mechanic of the Week’ – explained that the bikes had been supplied to the Lambs by Giant UK but Larry’s had actually been giving him trouble “from the off”.

He had heard from Tony that a bike was on its way to him and then Giant UK got in touch. “Their marketing person phoned me and said, ‘we have this bike coming up… can you look at it and fix it?

“It hadn’t been set up properly, to be honest. I fixed it and dropped it back at the County Hotel where the production team were staying. They had finished filming here and were going off to Ireland to film the next episode, although they ended up showing that before the Hebrides one. I had met Larry in town, when they were filming that section with the pipe band. I said, ‘Hi Larry, I’m fixing your bike’ and he said, ‘oh, how’s it going?!’”

For cyclists on the Hebridean Way, the network of Alistair and Tony’s businesses – plus Malcolm’s in Berneray – means there is joined-up breakdown cover throughout the whole island chain, as one of them can always be at the other side of an inter-island ferry.

Alistair said: “As far as cycling the Hebridean Way is concerned, that’s absolutely vital. Previously, there was no organised ‘rescue service’. Now at least it’s all joined up and coherent.”

Alistair, who set up in 2013, went full time in 2014 and opened up at The Hub in 2017, said their network “works really well” and had become essential with the rise in cycling in the islands.

He added: “I have a sense of happiness that biking is big enough to warrant me being here. Setting up happened at a time that was good as in cycling was just starting to kick off and the Hebridean Way became available. You have to suck it and see and hope that the demand is there but it seemed that the demand was there.

“The feedback has been brilliant – all positive – and in terms of business it’s been a very successful summer. Certainly it’s been maniacally busy.”

As for the roads themselves, with increased traffic on the Hebridean Way, he said: “You’re not going to get away from these occasional people who want to have a moan about cyclists but I think in general people are fairly accepting and happy to operate together on the roads.

“It’s just a bit of grumbling that they have to wait a little longer to get to a passing place. There’s actually very, very few accidents – close calls without a doubt but I can’t think of any accidents.”